Led by a mix of renowned UC Davis faculty and industry thought-leaders, the rigorous curriculum includes in-depth sessions on marketing, financial management, winemaking fundamentals, cost analysis and control, vineyard and winery operations and management, the latest in grape and wine research, and legal issues in the wine industry.

The intimate classroom environment and interaction give you the opportunity to network with your peers and tap the expertise of our speakers.

Speakers

Professor Adams is currently the chair of the department’s Scholarship Committee and serves on the Teaching Committee.

Dr. Adams’ research program focuses on grape berry ripening. He has concentrated his efforts in two principle areas: the biochemical changes that occur during ripening, and the development of tannins in skins and seeds of red wine varieties. The latter leads naturally into research related to the level of tannins in wines, and he has pursued that topic with students in the university’s graduate food sciences program whose primary interest is in winemaking.

Dr. Aravindakshan’s research interests center on learning how brands can better allocate their advertising resources (e.g. budgets, creatives etc.) across different regions and/or multiple media over time. In addition to studying such dynamic advertising models his research also investigates the dynamics of customer behavior and loyalty to help managers devise better communication and targeting policies in order to optimize their marketing mix at the individual level.

Since joining the Chemical Engineering faculty in 1996, Professor Block’s research has been focused on technology for wine fermentations and biopharmaceutical fermentation optimization based on historical process data and artificial intelligence. More recently, his work has included applications to biofuel production including the study of increased alcohol tolerance in microorganisms and of bio-based fuels.

Professor Elsbach is a professor of management and expert in organizational behavior. She was named the first recipient of the prestigious Stephen G. Newberry Endowed Chair in Leadership in March 2010. She was a Chancellor’s Fellow at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management from 2000 to 2005 and she currently is the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative for the UC Davis campus. She received her Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Stanford University in 1993.

Andrew Hargadon is a professor of management and director of technology management programs at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. He is also founding director of the UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship and UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center. He was recently named the first recipient of the Charles J. Soderquist Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship.

Amy Hoopes is the President of Wente Family Estates. She was promoted to this position from the position of Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, where she oversaw all global marketing and sales operations for the family-owned wine portfolio including Wente Vineyards, Entwine, Murrieta’s Well, Double Decker, and Hayes Ranch, as well as for the lifestyle operations, The Course, The Restaurant and the Concerts at Wente Vineyards.

A wine industry executive with over 25 years of experience consistently delivering results through expertise in leadership, strategy and skillful management. Mr. Martin’s experience spans both wholesale distribution as well as winery operations.

During her Ph.D. studies at Adelaide University in Australia, Dr. Oberholster researched the development of the mouth-feel wheel for red wine and investigated the changes in polymeric pigment structure and composition with wine aging. Dr. Oberholster’s primary focus was on both wine and analytical chemistry with an emphasis on the influence different winemaking techniques have on phenol composition and quality.

Professor Robert Smiley is Director of Wine Industry Programs at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, and Dean and Professor Emeritus of Management. He earned both a B.S. in engineering and an M.S. in business economics from UCLA; in 1973, he received his Ph.D. in economics from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Before joining UC Davis, Professor Smiley was on the faculty at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

Professor Andrew Walker received his B.S. in Botany in 1975, M.S. in Horticulture/Viticulture in 1983, and a Ph.D. in Genetics in 1989 from UC Davis. He was appointed to the faculty in 1989 as a Professor of Viticulture and Genetics. He was the Louis P. Martini Endowed Chair in Viticulture from 2000 to 2015, and currently holds the Louise Rossi Endowed Chair in Viticulture .

An internationally recognized wine chemist, Professor Waterhouse’s research program focuses on phenolic compounds, in particular their effects on wine qualities and on the health of wine consumers. His current interests also include the effect of oxidation on wine chemistry and how this oxidation affects important quality parameters of wine, such as taste and color. Waterhouse is participating in the development of general analytical methodology of interest in wine analysis and has a variety of methods published in this area.

Professor Yetman received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He teaches courses on taxes and business strategy, corporate governance, and the accounting industry. He has also has lectured on cost accounting at executive education programs for wine industry professionals.

Meet with admissions committee members face-to-face at this San Francisco State University event. Ask questions and get advice from Assistant Director of MSBA Admissions Justin Reafsnyder. Gain an insider’s perspective on any and all topics that are important to you.